Nothing's Ever Easy
by K.B.Maillet
Summary: An encounter with a strange Devil Fruit user leaves almost half the crew de-aged and separate from the rest of the crew. Now its up to Zoro, Luffy, Robin, and Nami to find a way back to the ship before the marines get to them first. A task much harder to do when ones navigator is an infant, your captain is energetic young boy, and the archaeologist is a shy little girl. Oh boy...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own One Piece_

 **Note:** So I typed this out cause I read a lot of stories where Straw Hat's are changed into kids and certain crew members have to take care of them, which I adore cause they can be so cute. I was craving to write one, just so I don't get writer's block for _The Resolution_ and showed this to a friend cause why the hell not? She loved it and I decided to post it up cause... _why the hell not?_

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The tavern sat not to far from the shore, close enough to the docks but far enough to have plenty of distance from the fishing harbor and its stench it carried with it. The tavern was run by a spit-fired woman named Shal (thick bodied with wide hips and dark skin, a graying afro styled hair that was never without a colorful bandanna), well into her 60's and nicknamed "Godmother" from her more usual customers that would stumble their way to the bar. The building was made by her father a few years before his death, his dream completed and Shal wanting his dream to continue. Giving up her job as a doctor as soon as she heard of his passing, Shal began to run the tavern as the local bartender.

Over the years, the woman came to enjoy the vast number of tales sailors would spill after a few pints of alcohol, humorous or thrilling or even romantic. She appreciated a good story, whether they had claimed it true or not. She welcomed them to sit at her bar and entertain her with myths and rumors not many would bother to hear. Of course, Shal had her own stories she could tell, most customers having been there to begin with. Fights and raids and robberies, all she took in stride because it made the tavern a more interesting place to be. Some came for the meals, some came from the drinks, some came for the service (friendly service, as always, she wasn't hiring whores to work at her tavern).

But it was the atmosphere that made them stay.

Shal welcomed anyone and everyone to the tavern, marine or pirate or traveler or hunter alike to enjoy a time of peace. She knew and accepted different peoples' views and came to understand that not everyone from opposition sides reached for each others necks, they could get along for just a moment in secluded comfort so long as the other side didn't try any funny business.

Which, of course, Shal made sure nothing did happen or they could take their shit outside and not bother her again.

Shal suspected nothing else could surprise her or come her way, not after 30 years of running a tavern on the Grand Line.

Except she was wrong, very wrong, and sometimes found herself still believe it was nothing but her imagination.

It was the night of a huge storm, the winds howling from across the sea as thunder and lightning crashed in the skies. Everyone inside the tavern was snugged and warm, Shal even making sure there were blankets to spare for those who felt the harsh chill of the storm when entering. A kindness extended to anyone and no one trying to get more than what the deserved, either knowing that they'd be easily kicked out by Shal's workers (who were well seasoned fighters wanting to settle down, hired for extra protection by the Godmother) or were simply too tired to start trouble.

She was behind the bar, polishing off some glasses as the buzzing of stories filled the silence in the room. As bad as it was outside, the tavern was filled with a sense of relaxation and comfort, making the old woman smile fondly.

A sudden crack of lightning as thunder boomed in the sky came with the sound of the door being slammed abruptly open, causing all customers to seize their chattering and look over to a man gasping as though he had been on the run from a wild animal.

Shal frowned, recognizing him as one of the local fishermen, "Careful with my door, hun."

"S-Sorry, Godmother but its an emergency!" He stepped inside to close the door and allow warmth to stay in, the rainy cold staying out.

"Emergency? What are you talking about?"

"Someone washed upon the shores, I think it was a family or something but there's a man with three kids passed out on shore!"

Had it not been for years of steel willpower, Shal would have dropped the glass she had been holding in her hands at the news. Instead, her fingers clasped onto its handle tightly as her hands shook, a few of the patriots stood up shocked at the news, "Then why did you leave them?" Loud, angry, and accusing coupled with worry, "They aren't..."

But thankfully the man shook his head, "No, no, ma'am! As far as I can tell, the man is very much alive. I would know if the children were if it weren't for the fact I couldn't step near them. The man, he has a weapon, he almost took my right hand off! I tried reasoning with him but I don't think he's very aware at the moment."

A story she didn't like for once.

"I need a few men to come with me, I'll try to figure something out. No, Lewo, Pravo. You guys keep an eye on the tavern. The rest of you can stay put, its dangerous weather right now. Drinks on the house." A few muttered their thanks as about four large men accompanied her and the fishermen to the spot where the castaways laid.

It bothered her to hear that there were children in danger, as it would for most people who had a heart. What also bothered her was the man. Whether they were his or he had stolen them (for whatever reason, she didn't want to think of it), it was obvious that he was a danger to them currently. Without knowing exactly the full story, Shal couldn't treat him with bias, he may very well know them for all they knew.

"This way, watch your step." The fisherman called through the howling winds as he went down a slope towards the shore. When they got to the spot, Shal could see why the man was so pale when he entered the tavern.

Years of having strong fighters entering her tavern and Shal knew the feeling of a dangerous person when she saw one. Her fear surfacing as her minty greens locked on with dark silvers that watched her closely, like a cautious cat ready to strike if they felt threatened but oddly seemed a bit hazy. The man was crouched, right hand shakily grasping the hilt of a sword as his left arm was curled towards his chest, holding a bundle close to him. It was hard to make out his details in the darkness of the storm but Shal was certain she could see cropped green hair. He wore a simple white shirt that clung tightly to his body from the sea water, clearly showing a chest that heaved with rasping pants and muscles stiffly locked into place, ready to attack. Shal couldn't tell if he was injured or not but suspected he might have bumped his head when he landed on the shores (knowing that there were rocks hidden below the depths of the water).

Laying behind him and slightly off to the left was a young black haired child wearing nothing but a large red vest. Not far from him was another black haired child, a girl, who wore a large white blouse. Both seemed young, thin children who were quite possibly related to each other in some way but she couldn't see their faces to know. Shal spotted a head of reddish orange hair peeking out from the bundle wrapped in a cloth, making her realize it was a baby.

Her throat felt tight with panic.

"Sir, please! We're not here to hurt you!" The fisherman tired to reason, only receiving an animistic growl that cut clearly through the noise, despite how low it actually was.

"Don't make any sudden movements, we don't know what might upset him." Shal cautioned in a low hiss to the other four men who nodded sternly before turning her attention back to the man. Shal studied his face for a moment, twisted into an angry and threatening snarl but there was something in his eyes that spoke what he was truly feeling at that moment. Fear, panic, confusion. The way his eyes darted between everyone, cautious and distrusting, but he never made a move towards them. He wanted to scare them away without getting into a fight, maybe because he was barely hanging onto his conscious at the moment.

He doesn't want us to take them away...

"Godmother, careful!" The fisherman said as he made slow and careful steps towards the man, watching him stiffen up and his eyes snapping straight to her. Goosebumps ran up her arms, it felt like she was walking towards her death.

"Sir..." Her honey-like voice spoke softly, eyes never leaving his as she kept her hands to her sides, "Sir, my name is Shal. I run a tavern not far from here, there's warmth and food there." She was trying to get him to relax at least a little, trying to show him she meant no harm, "We aren't going to take them away from you." At that, he seemed to flinch but Shal would worry about that later, "We just want to help. Can you tell us, are they ok?"

By then, Shal was standing just half a foot in front of him, crouching on her feet with her hands resting on her knees to clearly show him where they were. She could make out his face much clearer now, noticing the rough features that only seemed enhance his surly expression to make it seem even deadlier. Her eyes never left his though and thankfully, his tense posture seemed to easy. Good, they were making progress. While she didn't know what the others were doing behind her, she knew they were smart enough to stay put and stay still less they spook the man again. The most important thing right then and there was to get the man to trust them enough to help him and the children.

Just then, the bundle in his arms shifted as it whimpered, probably not enjoying the fact it as getting cold and wet. Both the man and Shal looked towards the bundle, a pudgy face turning towards them with eyes scrunched tight and arms wiggling free from their bindings. Suddenly, the man relaxed completely and his face softened to an expression of relief. Shal watched silently, surprised by his sudden change and wasn't even aware of his fingers letting slip the sword which thumped softly into wet sands. Lids fluttered open as large cinnamon eyes glanced up towards the man whose lips drew upwards faintly into a smile, "You're ok..." He muttered and Shal was when alarmed when she noticed him finally giving out, "Thank goodness..."

Quickly, before the baby could hit the ground with the man, Shal swiped the child up as they gave a shrieking cry. She stumbled backwards and landed on her bottom, cradling the child close to sooth their distress, "Get them all to the tavern, now!" Came the sharp order and the four men called out their agreement before quickly going over to pick up the other two children and the man, "Take him to the back room and see if the doctor up the hill is awake. If he's not then make him awake."

The fisherman quickly left for that task, not before helping Shal up along with the child. She sighed, not having expected any fool to be out at sea during a storm. Her eyes glanced to the sword laying in the wet sands, its white hilt almost glowing against the dark contrast. It was a beautiful blade, she had to admit, and knew she couldn't leave it there alone. Shifting the now sleeping child in one arm, Shal bent to pick up the sword, holding it so that the sharp side of the blade faced towards her before making her way up the slope and back towards her tavern.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _I still don't own One Piece_

 **Note:** Wow, I honestly didn't expect this story to be as successful in such a short time. I'm honestly really happy you guys like it so much, makes me feel all tingly inside. Heh. Hm, I've also had someone ask me why I chose the Straw Hat's that I did and I do have my reasons (a small reason was for fluff reasons but that's later on), I was thinking about it from an enemies perspective.

I chose Nami to not only be reverted into a baby but to end up washing ashore simply because she's the navigator, a position vital to traveling the Grand Line. Luffy was chosen because he's the strongest and well...he's the captain, not to mention that the whole crew looks up to Luffy so if you take out the captain, even if the crew is strong, it'd still hit them hard. Robin was picked as well because she's one of the smartest on the crew with a very broad knowledge of many things. There's a 4th crew member that has been reverted into their child-like form but they aren't gonna be shown until chapter 4 when we take a look at what's going on in the Sunny. Oh and this is after they get Brook so the whole crew is there (yes, this is before the timeskip).

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"Are they...?"

"Yes, yes, they're all alive. Thank the Gods too, I mean, what were they thinking? Sailing out in weather like this..."

Shal only hummed her agreement from her chair which rested beside the bed, currently occupied by the man with the green hair. The storm continued to whip and rage outside, rattling the windows and creaking the foundation but the tavern stood strong, as it had for many decades. The back room, usually reserved for drunkards who needed a quick place to crash for the night less they wander off to the shores and drowned, was where several people were gathered. It was a decent size room for three beds, so the space wasn't too cramped but everyone who needed to be there was and anyone who wanted to be there simply were left outside the room.

After returning to the tavern with the man and children in tow, Shal had been bombarded with questions she honestly had no answer for. They knew nothing about the man, only suspicion which wasn't something she wanted to use. Suspicion was what started rumors and rumors only caused problems, Shal wanted to avoid as many problems as she could. A few people offered assistance but she declined, simply telling everyone to enjoy their stay at the tavern and that she'll deal with what was wrong. One person, a man she remembered to have children of his own, did offer to lend some clothes to the young boy and girl that he was sure would fit. Shal accepted and he returned no less then 10 minutes later, a plastic bag full of dry clothes and panting heavily from the run to his house and back. Shall and two of the four men who had accompanied her began to strip them bare of their soggy clothes before drying them off and checking them over for any injuries.

The baby had been fine, not a single scratch and they even found out it was a girl. While they had no change of clothes for her, the baby was simply wrapped carefully in a spare but warm blanket and settled onto one of the bed at the back, pillows crowded around to make sure the baby girl didn't fall out of the bed. The older girl, looking to be no younger than six and no older than eight, simply had a small cut on her left forearm. It wasn't anything serious, thankfully, but it was still cleaned up and wrapped up. After quickly changing her into a pair of black slacks and a brown sweater (the man had two sons but both were relatively the same size as the two children), they moved onto the young boy who seemed to be around the same age as the older girl. There weren't any scratches or bruises but they didn't miss the small scar under his left eye. Felix Patchier, the doctor they had brought with them who had arrived moments after they had returned themselves, checked it over and said it looked a few years old. The boy was changed into a pair of blue pants with a green sweater (placed in another bed with the young girl beside him) before they finally moved onto the man.

Just as Shal thought, the man had sustained a small injury to the back of his head, most likely when he had come closer to the shores and banged into the rocks. It required a few stitches but besides that and a few bruises, he was healthy and fine, aside from being very chilled. Shal had also been right in thinking the man was a fighter of some sort, having saw the long scar that ran across his torso from his left shoulder to his right hip. The scar itself was a mess, jagged and unclean which must of meant his patchwork had been done by inexperienced hands and in a rush. Not that she'd blame anyone for it being a rushed job, judging by the scar tissues, she'd say the wound must of been very deep. They were surprised to see two, perfectly straight scars that wrapped around his ankles, almost as if they had tied to be cut off. He had various other marks on him but all were too faded against tanned skin to tell, Shal simply shook her head and continued with their treatment. They dried him off, wrapped him up, and settled him into one of the beds with a various assortment of blankets piled onto him. Having no spare clothes for him, Shal simply had him go commando as to wait for his clothes to dry (after she'd cleaned them, of course). His sword had been placed back in its sheath and laid against the bedside table where his earrings laid, close to him for comfort but close to Shal as well just in case the man decided to lunge for it though she doubted he'd be up anytime soon.

With everything set and out of the way, the two men from before went back into the front to enjoy their drinks and maybe answer any questions the others had for them.

Shal frowned as she stared at the man and the children, Felix also looking troubled by their presence but not as noticeably as Shal, "What are you worried about, hm?" Felix asked as he began to put away his instruments he had brought along with him. Felix was a good friend of her's, knowing him since he was a baby. She was a good 20 years older than him but sometimes it felt like the other way around. Felix was smart, very smart, and he didn't have to know someone for a long time to get an idea of how they thought. Most people were disturbed by him due to the fact his facial expressions were always so calm and lazy, even when he smiled or frowned or scowled. He ran a hand through thick strands of dark red hair, dark blue eyes flickering over to her once before landing back on the people before them, "They're in good health, you know. Just a little bumped and tired, they'll be fine in the morning."

"That's not it."

"Hm?" He raised a lazy brow as his hands paused over his bag, still open and yet to be closed. Her gaze was strained, as though trying desperately to remember something within reach but it kept slipping through her fingers. Felix smirked in amusement before finally closing his bag, "Then what troubles you so?"

"I...He looks familiar, like I've seen his face before." Shal leaned forward with a huff, resting her elbows onto her knees and grasping her chin, "You know me, I'm good with remembering names to faces but this guy eludes me..."

"Perhaps you've seen his face in passing?"

"No, that's definitely not it. I've been on this island for more than 30 years and this guy doesn't even look to be in his 20's just yet. He's not from around here or I'd know it, plus why would he be near the shore with children? You didn't see it but he was very protective of those children, there's no way a guy like that would be out during a storm unless he came from the ocean."

Felix gave her a calm calculating stare, "Then...from the paper? Or a bounty?"

Shal scoffed at the mention of bounties, "I don't approve of bounties being in _my_ tavern."

The doctor simply chuckled and raised his hands in defense, "I know, I know, but I'm just saying. They are still all over town so perhaps you've caught a glimpse of one before and just can't remember."

"Maybe...can you do me a favor then?"

"Give me $150 off my tab and I will."

Shal scowled again but this time directed at the doctor who smiled patiently at her, knowing full well she would do it, "$100 and not a beli more."

"Deal."

"Go to the marine outpost on Garnet Hill and check their bounty updates. I don't know if he'd actually be in there but it's worth a shot, it's the only thing we have to go by for now." Shal eased back into her chair, folding her arms below her breasts, "But don't let any of the marines think for a moment we might have someone with a bounty on their head here. I don't want trouble, I just want answers. If he has a bounty then fine but its none of my business what he's done to get one, I just wanna know."

"Consider it done. Oh and by the way, my services will come to about...hmm...$50." Shal blinked, quickly turning her head to Felix who was quietly chuckling to himself at having out smarted the bartender, "Of course, you _can_ just take that off my tab along with that $100 you so kindly promised."

"Out, worm!" Shal snarled but remained seated as the doctor bid her farewell and a wish of luck. The bartender sighed as she eased back into her chair, crossing one leg over the other, "This whole thing is probably nothing and I'm over reacting. He'll wake up, say his thanks and leave. Hm...probably owes me but whatever, that can be up to him." Shal listened to the laughter and chattering of her customers through the walls, she could simply imagine what the atmosphere looked like at the moment, "This is gonna just be another tales to be told at the tavern."


End file.
